About Signal

Our curated program includes free workshops, exhibitions, installations, live events and performances at both our riverside Northbank venue in the city and online.

A group of young people next to a curtain with a projection of a woman in a crown

We run our programs on the weekends during school terms and throughout the week during school holidays. Discover a wide range of art forms and practices, get your hands on industry materials, and learn from professional artists. Check out What’s on for upcoming events.

In January, look out for Signal Summer - an intensive creative arts program that happens over a two-week period each year. The Signal Summer 2025 program will be announced in December 2024.

Throughout the year, we also provide two development programs to support young artists' practice and projects with guidance from mentors and Signal staff. Keep an eye out for Expressions of Interest opening for:

Screen and Sound Commissions (16 to 25 year-olds)
Young Creatives Lab (18 to 25 year-olds).

You can also get involved by joining the Signal Curators (16 to 25 year-olds). This group of young people love art and meet monthly to hear from artists, curators and art industry professionals. They plan exhibitions, workshops and other projects - as well as contributing ideas to the Signal studio program. Please email us at signal@melbourne.vic.gov.au if you’d like to join.

Respectful and welcoming of all members of our community, we recognise the unique and continuing culture of Indigenous Australians, and respectfully acknowledge that our activities take place on the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation.

History of the Signal building

The Signal building is the last remaining signal box of Flinders Street Station, a place where switching engineers presided over the railyards. The signal box became obsolete in the 1900s when Flinders Street station upgraded to electronic switching. The building was abandoned and left derelict for many years and destroyed by fire in 2003.

The 126-year-old heritage listed building has emerged with a modern presence, an artistic hive attracting youth from all over the city to partake in Signal’s multi-art form program offerings.

The Signal building is an example of sustainable architecture. It uses the simple environmental concepts of fresh air, night purging and cool energy capture. The building also collects rainwater for reuse and uses photovoltaic panels to offset energy use. The interior stairwell is made from reclaimed timber from Melbourne’s own parks.